Prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease among Iranians aged 6 to 18 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to serious complications and have adverse effects on physical and mental well-being in young people. This review aimed to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD among Iranians aged 6 to 18 years.

This study was conducted by systematic review and meta-analysis methods. A detailed search was performed on various international and Iranian databases from January 2000 to January 2023. The international databases included Pubmed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science, while the Iranian databases consisted of MagIran and SID. The quality of the selected studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa  Scale. Overall prevalence was estimated using the random-effects model and DerSimonian and Laird criteria with a 95% confidence interval. The Q-Cochrane test and the I2 index were used to assess heterogeneity between studies. In addition, a sensitivity analysis was performed to ensure the reliability of the results. Data analysis was performed in Stata12 software.

Finally, 9 studies were selected for analysis, of which, 7 studies were of good quality, while 2 studies were of average quality based on the assigned scores. According to the random-effects model, the overall prevalence of NAFLD in Iranian individuals aged 6 to 18 years was 35% with a 95% confidence interval (24% to 46%).

The results of our study revealed a high prevalence of NAFLD in Iranian individuals aged 6 to 18 years. Policymakers and healthcare planners in Iran must implement educational programs aimed at the prevention and early diagnosis of this disease.